Free TEFL Accommodation in South Korea

One of the biggest perks of getting a TEFL job in South Korea is the free accommodation provided by almost every employer. This combined with good salaries (£1500 per month*), ridiculously cheap eating out and a beer in a bar only costing £1.30 means it’s a teaching hotspot for TEFL teachers looking to save cash! So, you’re sold on South Korea… but before you sign that first job contract – let’s find out what that free accommodation really looks like**.

Yep, that’s your kitchen! Tiny though it is, it should have all the essentials that you need (multitasking rice cooker/casserole maker anyone?!)… but if you’d prefer, eating out is also cheap, tasty and easy – with a restaurant on almost every street corner.

Even though it’s somewhat traditional for Koreans to sleep on the floor, employers have now wised up to the fact that westerners prefer a bed and most will supply a double!

Welcome to your bathroom! Strange though it may look, an open plan wet room with an unenclosed shower can actually become quite a boon when it comes to cleaning. Toilets might have heated seats, fake flush noises to ‘protect modesty’, automatic flushes and adjustable water jets!

Most apartments will also have a small living area with a table, chairs a sofa and a TV. Yes… the fridge is in the living room – we didn’t say this guide would make sense!

All ready for your TEFL adventure to South Korea? If so, then take a look at our free South Korea country guide, to find out about the birthplace of Kimchi and Gangnam Style!

*£1500 per month is equal to about 2.4 million won – see we weren’t lying to you!

**All pictures provided by teacher Kat from her apartment in Ulsan, South Korea. Your individual experiences may vary (maybe you’ll end up with a penthouse at the Hilton)!